Unemployment Making Me Utterly MISERABLE!

rosered1963

Hello everyone

Just to say I am away for a week. Look forward to hearing all your news when I come back.

andrewman

I have been unemployed for 2.5 years, last 6 months due to accident. I applied for loads of jobs ranging from casino work to making netting, also tried tesco, but even though i got some interviews, i never seemed to get jobs. I put it down to having to many skills or they just dont like the look of me. Jobcenter keeps saying look for jobs or lose benefit, how can you look for jobs you want if no one is hiring.

rosered1963

Good Luck Andrewman. It's very difficult getting anything.

Naykon

I'm a 22 year old Forensic science postgraduate, I have applied roughly for 10-20 jobs a week for the past 6 months. (Police, NHS, CSI, Min wage Lab work, Admin/Clerical, Pathology, Animal work) And believe me I'm starting to set my sights very low.

I am yet to get an interview as i "lack experience" (the old chicken and the egg scenario, how to get a job when no one will give you the chance to get any experience) My thought after a few months was... why don't I Volounteer? work for free for a few weeks to get that experience on my CV...

But who do I apply to? I get the feeling the Police, NHS and any prospective scientific employer would surely not bother with the insurance risk i might pose them by working for free for a few weeks, what if i was injured? i might sue? OH no...

I have worked part time jobs consistenly whilst studying from 2003-2009 but it seems no one is interested.

I would very much appreciate anyones help in the scientific field, even if someone would be willing to take a look at my CV and tell me what's wrong with it. I don't know any scientific employers who can offer me any advice.

After 6 months I just don't feel optimistic about anything anymore. I really understand the "ups and downs" people talk about here, i just feel the downs becoming much more frequent lately.

sackcloth

Morning all, just a quick check in on you before I start on my chores! :j

RR: have a great break and really try and relax. I know it'll be difficult but it might be the only break you get this year so make the most of it.

Medini: a truly awful story and I'm so sorry to hear that you had a bad experience. Don't feel silly about collecting your items and I'd still ask for them to be sent back to you directly, not via the agency if possible.

The agency in question (which I'd rather not mention by name) seem to be struggling to get roles at the moment. Having temped for them before - at their HQ - and got many different roles through them during my career, I too appear to be on a black list because I dared to question one of their very young consultants about the way she was dealing with me. Having said that, many of my contacts have moved on to better agencies (what does that say) and even when I temped at their HQ I was appalled to find that a 3 month temp-perm contract replacing someone who was leaving turned into a 2 week assignment as they were making the role redundant. I always felt sorry for the girl who left...

The sad truth is that as the workers at that Total operation have found out, contract and temp workers are always vulnerable to being let go with little or no notice. Which is why employers like them!! I did temp on and off during my career but always did it knowing that they could ask me to go and likewise, I could leave if I wanted to without question. Sometimes it worked both ways and I have left roles if I felt that I was being asked to do things I wasn't there to cover or if I felt uncomfortable for any reason. My safety is paramount and I always considered that I was representing the agency but that the agency had a duty of care towards me. After all, you're bringing in money for the agency and if you're not happy you can always change agencies.

Don't let this get you down, and great that you are keeping positive!

Newbies welcome along! :T

Logan: I think the only person who make money out of the books are the writers and publishers! There's a lot of free info at the local chamber of commerce, businesslink and books can be found at the local libraries. There's always a cheaper option!!

Naykon: well done on reaching your qualification and welcome! I sympathise with your situation and think that you have nothing to lose by contacting the various agencies (Police, Home Office, NHS, private medical labs, RSPCA animal hospitals etc.) to ask if they have any voluntary roles or even some advice about who to contact or what to do. Keep applying for roles, even those that you think you are over qualified for and don't lose heart. Something will come along.

Well that's it for today.
Have a great weekend all,
Sackcloth.

medini

Is anyone else getting sick of finding that jobs have closed before you have chance to apply for them? I've lost count of the number of things I've phoned about or clicked on only to be told that its closed early because of demand.

andygb

medini wrote: »

Is anyone else getting sick of finding that jobs have closed before you have chance to apply for them? I've lost count of the number of things I've phoned about or clicked on only to be told that its closed early because of demand.

Yes Medini, I am in that exact situation. I am registered with Reed (They don't attempt to find me anything either), as well as Hays, Manpower and countless others. I do internet searches everyday, and ring around the agencies. There are very few, if any of the advertised jobs which exist. I still see jobs on the Reed site which were being advertised last year!!
I don't like dealing with agencies any more, but have to, just to give myself some extra chances, because some firms (quite a lot actually) will not look at individual CVs.
My age (51) is against me, and I am always dealing with much younger people at the agencies, and they very often do not have in depth knowledge of the job which they are recruiting for.
I am going through a very low period at the moment, where I am almost convinced that I am not going to get another job. I have tried "cold calling" local businesses, but this just makes me feel worse with some of the responses you get. Until people have been out of work themselves, they tend to "judge" others who are not as fortunate as themselves. The fact that you are actively looking for work does not seem to make any difference, once you are out of work, there is a stigma surrounding your situation.
Going back to the earlier point about "phantom job vacancies", some agencies use the excuse that the employer has "put the job on hold" for the moment. I would love a fiver for every time I have heard that line over the past year.

_Stix_

Hello All

Newbie just signed up.

So glad to have found this. Just read the thread and relate to so much of what has been said as I feel like I'm living this nightmare alone. You have to live it to know it.

I'm coming up to the six month unemployed mark, the point at which I've heard you start losing the plot. Fortunate enough to have had a couple of interviews recently. Feedback from one, via the agency (yes, actual feedback!) was that I was over-qualified and wouldn't be challenged. Call me cynical but that translates to: she's too old. Finding it so difficult to keep hope alive.

Wishing there was some sort of support group I could join for mutual moral support, cycling, chat etc. May place an ad in my local rag.

3pm is the absolute worst time of the day for me.

oh well, off to reed.co.uk and for a rummage to see if there's anything I can flog on ebay.

Promise to be more cheery, just having a bad day, in spite of the sunshine, don't feel I can enjoy it.

Guess we'll all find work in the end, it's just keeping sane in the meantime ...

_Stix_

medini

3pm is the absolute worst time of the day for me.

I agree with that, by that time of day you have ran out of stuff to do and their isn't anything on tv. I live near a large man made lake with a large population of ducks. I've taken to going for long walks around the lake during mid afternoon to take my mind of things.

When my partner works late shifts he doesn't get in until around 8pm. I find that it difficult between 6-8 waiting for him to come in.

_Stix_

I always go for an afternoon walk along the river but it's so *not* enjoyable and feels wrong wrong wrong, not being occupied. Sure you know what I mean ....

I try and do a mini workout in the evenings with weights and a side stepper - that is when I can be motivated. Passes a bit of time.

On a different note, can't believe how *low* salaries are these days - less than I was earning 12 years ago and I'd be lucky to even get that. Salaries are so out of balance with the cost of living.